The Last Adventures – Warwick Arts Centre Review

Forced Entertainment always seem to divide opinion and this is especially so at Thursday’s performance of The Last Adventures. Gaggles of school children argued about whether the piece was “really well clever” or whether to leave the auditorium, amongst a blend of perplexed-looking or smiling theatre-goers. This having spent 80 minutes watching a 12-strong cast of performers tell a fantasy story like no other. The inventive performance, partially improvised, is accompanied by Japanese noise artist KK Null who uses as a base Tarek Atoui’s sound design.

The world of The Last Adventures is epic; we see the entire company die in battle, a dragon attacking villagers and a robot at war with a wizard. Of course, everyone has their own interpretation of what it means and how to best analyse the piece. Forced Entertainment have created a piece of work which requires the audience’s imagination to take hold, linking together segments and transforming the performance. The different tones and transformations presented are fascinating; clouds become smoke suffocating a performer who shouts for help and play fighting turns to warfare. All in all, The Last Adventures is absurd and wonderful to sink your teeth into with its fragmented narrative.

Accompanying the bizarre onstage performance, which leaves costumes and props scattered over the stage, is the hypnotic, disturbing score performed live by KK Null. Sound textures in different performances of The Last Adventures have varied as the live musician changes and KK Null’s dark, gritty sound adds an interesting undertone to what often appears to be performers engaged in play. At points the sound is deeply moving and although at others it seems to jar with the action, the technical elements to the performance add a great deal to the production, with lighting equally suited to the piece.

Many of you have probably brushed off The Last Adventures as purely ridiculous. It is ridiculous but it’s also deeply satisfying to see organised chaos erupt onstage. In Forced Entertainment’s thirtieth year, The Last Adventures seems like a celebration of stories and fantasy. Sometimes it’s exasperatingly slow and sometimes it’s hard to comprehend but, oh, The Last Adventures is spectacular.